By Akanimo Sampson
Texas Central Railroad has sealed a $1.6 billion contract deal with Kiewit for several rail electrical system upgrades.
Kiewit Infrastructure South along with Mass Electric Construction, an affiliate, will be working together to install the core electrical systems needed for the high-speed train from Dallas to Houston to operate.
The core electrical systems that will be established are an integral part of the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system technology that will be used.
The core electrical systems include important safety and systems elements such as communications and signaling equipment which will effectively enable the trains to operate securely while ensuring the tracks and operators communicate with each other.
The railroad system that has been proposed to be constructed in Texas will resemble the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system in Japan, a system that is operated by the Central Japan Railway Company.
Texas Central Railroad decided to replicate this system because it has a reputation of being one of the safest and most punctual train systems worldwide.
Over its 55 years and more of operation, the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system has transported more than 10 billion people with an incredible record of zero operational passenger fatalities and zero accidents since first deployed.
The Texas Railroad will create nearly 18,000 employment opportunities during the construction period of 6 years while more than 20,000 supply chain jobs and 1,400 direct permanent jobs will be created when the train begins operations.
The Texas Central project will utilize $7.3 billion of materials from US companies across 37 states.
“Kiewit and Mass Electric are national leaders in installing complex and large-scale electric systems and have long track records of delivering high-quality rail systems safely and effectively.
Harnessing both their experience with the safety of an integrated system is key to the operation of the Texas Central Railroad.” said the CEO of Texas Central Railroad, Carlos Aguilar.
